Kyle Teel Projects As Regular Catcher For Red Sox
Last offseason, Red Sox farm director Brian Abraham called 2023 first-round catcher Kyle Teel to deliver a mixed message.
The catcher was going to be invited to take part in the team’s January rookie development program but would not receive an invitation to big league camp.
Abraham expected Teel to express disappointment, but he encountered none.
“I realized he’d never been in minor league camp, so he wasn’t upset,” Abraham said. “It was one of the funnier conversations we’ve had.”
Despite the absence of that spring training invite, the 22-year-old Teel has not shied from pushing his career forward on a fast track.
Teel excelled at Double-A Portland, pushing his batting line to .302/.403/.484 with six home runs through 41 games after a scalding-hot May.
While the Virginia product entered pro ball with a natural all-fields, line-drive swing, he added roughly 15-20 pounds of good weight in the offseason, helping improve his bat speed. The lefthanded-hitting Teel has also become increasingly comfortable pulling the ball in the air.
Tasked with calling pitches on his own for the first time, Teel has shown the baseball intellect to handle the mental demands of catcher. His athleticism, hands and arm project to be able to handle the technical side of the position.
Thus evaluators have characterized Teel as a great bet to be at least an average regular and perhaps more.
“He is an everyday big league catcher at the least,” one scout said. “There’s bat speed and feel to hit, along with a quality defender. There’s a lot of floor, and a decent amount of ceiling.”
The fact that Teel has transitioned seamlessly to Double-A only adds to the sense of his ability to stay on a fast track, with a projected big league ETA of 2025—possibly sooner, if positional need arises in Boston.
SOX YARNS
— Low-A Salem catcher Johanfran Garcia suffered a torn ACL in his right knee that required season-ending surgery.
— Second baseman/outfielder Kristian Campbell, a 2023 fourth-rounder, had a 34-game on-base streak in High-A Greenville from April through late May. One game after the streak ended, the Red Sox promoted him to Double-A Portland.
